Saxon-Lower Lusatian Heathland

These are part of higher order (cross-border) natural regions, whereas the landscape units previously used described areas that were largely confined within the borders of Saxony.

The Saxon-Lower Lusatian Heathland forms the southernmost extent of the North German Plain in eastern Germany.

Characteristic and unifying features of the natural regions grouped within the Saxon-Lower Lusatian Heathland are soils that are poor in nutrients lying on thick, unconsolidated, Ice Age sediments, with an abundance of groundwater and underground deposits of brown coal.

The low agricultural utility across wide areas resulted in a relatively sparse population and, especially in the 20th century, it was extensively used for military training purposes.

Relatively un-fragmented areas, numerous water bodies and wetland sites and extensive nutrient-poor open land, amongst other features, have led to a high conservation value being placed on the region, which contains about 71% of Saxony's nature reserves.